Category: Garden

Liriope

On By CarynIn Garden

We have progressed to the next stage of the front garden bed rebuild. To recap, I dug out a few yards of dirt to remove the plants that had taken over, we purchased several yards of bedding soil and my husband amended it with chicken compost and refilled the bed. He set up the drip system and planted three kinds of Liriope, a flowering grass.

Photo description: front flower bed with Liriope Muscari planted in rows: giant and aztec in the back and Big Blue in the front, one Turks Cap planted behind the Liriope

The next step is to put down mulch. The Turks Cap is the only native. Liriope does well in this climate, though, and is low maintenance, which is what we need.

Crossvine blooms

On By CarynIn Garden
Photo description: crossvine with a few open blooms and many flower buds

The crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) on our front fence is happy to greet the Spring. This Texas native does well in sun or shade, is evergreen during mild winters, and blooms repeatedly throughout Spring, Summer, and Fall.

This sounds like a plug for the crossvine, but it is not a paid promotion. This is honestly one of my favorite plants in our yard. It is a superstar.

Unusual clover

On By CarynIn Flora, Garden
Photo description: three-leaf clover with almost hour-glass shaped leaves

In looking for four-leaf clover, I found a different kind of leaf in another patch in the front yard that has inverted curves on the sides of the leaf, which make the leaves look hour-glass shaped. Clover is a good nitrogen fixer for soil and good companion for grass. And makes for interesting discoveries.

Making my bed

On By CarynIn Garden

We have some bedding dirt left over from the front flower bed project, so I used left over stone to build new terraces between the house and the coop where the land slopes.

Photo description: first terrace started, the line of flagstone at the top of the hill is a path I’ve been slowly building over the last seven years, the second row of upright flagstone will hold dirt for the first terrace
Photo description: second terrace added with more flag stone

This was about all the stone and dirt I could haul in a day using a wheel barrow. The plan is to fill both new terraces with dirt, then maybe plant pumpkins.

Flower bed

On By CarynIn Garden

To get rid of the Gregg’s Mistflower (which doesn’t get enough light there), and the grass which has been persistent since we moved in, I dug out several inches of the dirt in the front flower bed in December. Winter ice packed down the clay, so before we put new soil in I used a mattock to break up the packed surface.

Photo description: getting started breaking up packed down dirt
Photo description: break up completed, the lumps on the side walk are concrete waste spilled out from under the sidewalk when it was placed

My husband hauled over the new bedding dirt and filled in the flower bed, amended with chicken compost.

Photo description: new bedding dirt in the flower bed

Weather reports say we should be getting a solid rain. We’ll see how much the bed settles then get plants and mulch.